Sim Style
by Leonia
Summary: What happens when Zack gets one of the best selling games of 2000?


DISCLAIMER: I do not work with Broderbund, The Learning Company, Mattel   
Interactive, DIC Incoporated, Maxis, Electronic Arts, or any other company   
whatsoever dealing with Carmen or The Sims, so don't email me and tell me   
that I'm using copyrighted stuff, I already know.  
  
WARNING: This fic is rated PG-13 for two reasons--to comply with "The Sims"   
ESRB's rating of T (for Teen due to Mature Sexual Themes, Comic Mischief, and   
Mild Animated Violence), and the fact that this fic is occassionally filled   
with swear words and maybe some dirty humor. There, you've been warned.  
  
[Title: "Sim Style" by Crystal Wong]  
  
[Time frame is after Season 4]  
  
[Acme HQ]  
  
[Zack and Ivy are in the control room]  
  
Zack: Check out this new game I got. It's called "The Sims."  
  
Ivy: [picks up box] "The People Simulator from the Creator of SimCity."   
Rather interesting, little bro.  
  
Zack: It's rather addictive too. Look, there's me and you greeting Mortimer   
and Bella Goth.  
  
Ivy: Okay...  
  
Zack: Hey look, Carmen's coming up.  
  
Ivy: Zack, you actually put Carmen in the game?  
  
Zack: No. I made a skin of her and put her in the game.  
  
Ivy: Considering how long have you been on the computer?!  
  
Zack: Uh... [checks the clock] six hours?  
  
Ivy: [checks clock as well] Midnight?! Zack, it's way past your bedtime!  
  
Zack: Aw man...  
  
[Ivy leaves]  
  
Zack: Heh, cool, maybe if I can stay up a little longer I can play The Sims   
until 2...  
  
[Zack does so, but sometime around 1 AM he falls asleep at the keyboard.]  
  
  
{START DREAM SEQUENCE}  
  
[Zack and Ivy appear in front of their house]  
  
Zack: Uh, Ivy...why are we back at home?  
  
Ivy: Don't know if you can even consider that building our home. I thought   
our house was two stories, and this house has only one story, along that this   
house has just bare walls. And there's so few burglar alarms!  
  
Zack: I guess that's what happens when you have only §20,000 to spend on a   
house...  
  
[Both go inside]  
  
Zack: Hm, a Llamark Refrigerator. Why does that name ring a bell?  
  
Ivy: Why the hell do we not have any carpeting or wallpaper?  
  
Zack: Don't know, sis. [going in the bedroom] Since when did we share a   
bedroom? And neither of us own Spartan Special Beds...  
  
Ivy: [going to the bathroom] Standard toilet, shower, and sink.  
  
Zack: [going back to the kitchen/general room] A Moneywell Computer. What   
kind of brand is Moneywell, anyway?  
  
Ivy: Don't know, Zack. I've never even heard of Moneywell...  
  
Zack: [looks out the window] Hey, someone's coming...and it's Bob Newbie?  
  
Ivy: Who's Bob?  
  
Zack: A Sim-- [he cuts himself off] Oh my god!  
  
Ivy: What's wrong, little bro?  
  
Zack: Somehow we've become Sims ourselves!  
  
Ivy: What are you talking about?  
  
Zack: Remember that game I was playing yesterday? We're stuck in it!  
  
Ivy: You're joking, aren't you?  
  
Zack: I'm not! [Looks out the window again] Great, Bella Goth's coming.  
  
{User, who has control over Zack, clicks on Bob Newbie to "Greet"}  
  
Zack: This is strange...something is telling me to go meet Bob Newbie...  
  
[Zack goes over and greets Bob Newbie.]  
  
Zack and Bob Newbie: [both guys shake hands] "Comon snala!"  
  
{Meanwhile, User now clicks on Ivy's face in the menu bar so they have   
control Ivy. User moves the cursor to Bella Goth, and orders Ivy to "Greet"   
Bella}  
  
Ivy: What the...something's making me to go greet Bella...  
  
[Ivy goes out and greets Bella Goth.]  
  
{Zack has just greeted Bob, so User hits the pause button on the keyboard.   
Time has frozen, so User switches back to Zack. User orders Zack for Bob to   
"Ask To Leave". User unpauses.}  
  
Zack: [making a shooing motion] "Com bleanar! Tar!"  
  
Bob Newbie: "Dag dag." [he leaves]  
  
Ivy and Bella: [both women shake hands] "Ah, vah waz thei!"  
  
{User has once again paused the game, and orders Ivy for Bella to "Ask to   
Leave." User switches over to Zack and commands Zack to "Find a Job" on the   
computer. User unfreezes time and things play out the way it's supposed to.)  
  
Ivy: [shooing Bella] "Oun ye, kazakah!"  
  
Bella Goth: "Ah, fah fah." [she leaves]  
  
[Zack is typing up on the computer as Ivy tells Bella to leave.] Zack: The   
only job offer is Medical Technician in the Medicine career...hours are 9 AM   
to 3 PM, pay is §200...  
  
{User clicks no, and Zack continues on typing while User switches to Ivy and   
tells her to "Study Cooking" from the Cheap Pine Bookcase. She goes over,   
grabs a book, sits down on the Contempto Loveseat, and a blue bar appears   
over Ivy's head when she starts reading.}  
  
Zack: The only job offer is Campaign Worker in the Politics career, hours are   
9 AM to 3 PM, pay is §220...  
  
{User once again clicks no, and Zack continues.}  
  
Zack: Security Guard in the Law Enforcement field, hours are 12 AM to 6 AM,   
pay is §240...  
  
{User clicks yes for this career.}  
  
Pop-up Box: Congratulations! Your carpool will arrive at 11 PM!  
  
User: Yeah, yeah, whatever.  
  
{By then Ivy has gained one cooking stat, and Zack has left the computer.   
User tells Zack to study cooking while Ivy is to search for her job. The   
process repeats for Ivy and User chooses the Law Enforcement career as well.}  
  
{It's now 5:05, Sim-time. Ivy's hunger bar is starting to get red and since   
she and Zack have only 1 Cooking stat, they could start a fire with the   
Dialectic Free Standing Range, plus, they don't even have enough money to buy   
the stove.}  
  
User: Damn. And they only have §101...I will not cheat, I will not use   
"klapaucius" and add a million "!;" in the cheat box...not that I can add a   
million "!;" in the cheat box...  
  
[Zack and Ivy get on their ways. 10 PM Sim-time arrives.]  
  
Pop-up Box: The carpool for Zack will arrive.  
  
User: I know this already! {clicks "OK"}  
  
Pop-up Box: The carpool for Ivy will arrive.  
  
User: ALRIGHT ALREADY! {hits the enter key on the keyboard}  
  
[11 PM Sim-time. A cruiser shows up and honks.]  
  
Zack: [twirling into a policeman's uniform] "Soom soom!"  
  
Ivy: [twirling into a policewoman's uniform] "Dag dag!"  
  
[Both siblings leave the house, and the cruiser drives them off to work.]  
  
User: {knocks on the wooden desk for luck}  
  
[6 AM, Sim-time]  
  
Zack: I got promoted! I'm a Cadet!  
  
Ivy: And I'm still a Security Guard. Damn.  
  
Zack: Let's see...I go to work from 9 AM to 3 PM and need two Body skills to   
promote? How do I get a body skill?  
  
{User enters into buy mode, and heads for the "Miscellaneous" category. User   
buys the "Exerto" Benchpress Exercise Machine, priced at §700. User returns   
to Live mode, and gets Zack to work out while making Ivy go "Sleep" in the   
Spartan Special Bed.}  
  
{8 AM Sim-time arrives. User cancels Zack's workout order.}  
  
Zack: Whew! [leaving for the patrol car] "Dag dag!"  
  
{Time speeds up as Ivy is sleeping. Around 12:31 PM Sim-time, Ivy wakes up.   
Ivy's hunger bar is once again red, so User makes Ivy to "Serve Lunch" from   
the fridge. Ivy nukes her lunch in the microwave, and takes it to the Card   
Table to eat.}  
  
Ivy: Mm...  
  
{After Ivy is finished with her lunch, User orders her to clean it up and go   
to the bathroom, which is connected to their bedroom but not the   
kitchen/general room. Weird house arrangement, but oh well. After Ivy is   
finished with the bathroom, User orders her to study more cooking. A Sim-hour   
passes and Ivy has gained her cooking stat of the day. 3 PM Sim-time comes   
and Zack brings home §320.}  
  
Zack: Back home.  
  
{User switches control to Zack, and orders him to "Study Mechanical" from the   
bookcase. Heading into buy mode, User sells off the Positive Potential   
Microwave and a NuMica Kitchen Counter for the Dialectic Free Standing Range.   
This drains the money down to §58.}  
  
[10 Sim-time arrive.]  
  
Pop-up Box: The carpool for Ivy will arrive in an hour.  
  
User: Yeah, yeah, I got it! {hits the enter key}  
  
{Zack has gone to bed, and it's 11 PM Sim-time. The police cruiser honks for   
Ivy.}  
  
Ivy: [twirling from her pajamas to her uniform] "Mu, soom soom!"  
  
{User leaves Zack and Ivy's house, and goes to Lot 1, where Carmen is at.}  
  
Carmen: Lovely...I only have §20,000 and an empty lot...and unemployed as   
well.  
  
{User orders Carmen to "Find a Job" in the newspaper.}  
  
Carmen: The only job offer is Mascot in the Pro Athlete career...  
  
{User clicks no, and heads into buy mode. User buys the Moneywell computer,   
Posture Plus Office Chair, and Mesquite Desk/Table. Going back to Live mode,   
User orders Carmen to "Find a Job" on the computer.}  
  
Carmen: First job offer is Pickpocket in Life of Crime career...  
  
{User clicks yes.}  
  
Carmen: Okay, so now I'm a Pickpocket. Not my type of job, but I guess   
that'll have to do if I'm going to transform this monster lot into a grand   
mansion.  
  
{Going into Buy mode, User buys the cheapest stuff, enough for Carmen to   
survive. Heading into Build mode, User builds as much as Carmen's house until   
about §1000, then adds burglar alarms. User goes back to Live mode.}  
  
Carmen: Nice empty shell of a house... [goes to the bathroom to applaud the   
Andersonville Pedestal Sink, showing that she likes the sink]  
  
{8 AM Sim-time arrives, and Carmen leaves for the carpool.}  
  
{As Carmen is away, Zack, Ivy, Bella, and Betty come by Carmen's house and   
rings the doorbell, only to have no one answer. 3 PM Sim-time comes, and   
Carmen brings home a measly §140.}  
  
{For the remainder of the day, Carmen plays on the computer, and later gains   
two Cooking stats through the cookbook. User replaces the microwave and   
counter for the Dialectic Free Standing Range. After the two cooking stats,   
User tells Carmen to go to bed.}  
  
{The night passes with no burglars coming, and around 4:50 AM Sim-time User   
gets Carmen awake so she can eat her breakfast and get ready for her job.)  
  
{8 AM Sim-time arrives. Carmen leaves work as usual.}  
  
{3 PM Sim-time comes. Carmen has been promoted to Bagman.}  
  
Carmen: So now I'm a Bagman...or Bagwoman, and bring home §200...and I need   
two Body stats to get to the next level.  
  
User: And I don't even have enough money to buy the exercise machine.  
  
{A few Sim-days pass. Carmen finally scrapes enough money from her job and   
spare time painting to build the shell of her first floor mansion and for a   
bedroom of her own. Zack and Ivy get some carpeting and wallpaper when they   
get the money.}  
  
[at Zack and Ivy's house]  
  
Ivy: Finally! Maybe we can live our lives like decent human beings...  
  
Zack: We're Sims.  
  
[at Carmen's house]  
  
Carmen: Yay...I'm a Bookie, I need a Charisma stat and two friends to   
promote.  
  
User: But I still need to furnish your house, dammit.  
  
{Carmen makes enough money to build the second shell of her house through   
phone calls, and the occasional §2000 when no one wins at the job.}  
  
User: Do you guys really expect me to write day-to-day diaries of each? I   
don't think so.  
  
{While Carmen is away on her job as a Bookie on Day 9, a burglar arrives.}  
  
User: OH HOLY ****! {You did read the warning, did you?}  
  
{The burglar alarm detects the thief and he is arrested. More Sim-days pass.   
On Day 35 at Carmen's house, another burglar comes. He is quickly arrested   
though, since Carmen made enough money to have an elaborate security system.}  
  
User: If you can say that 15 plus burglar alarms are an elaborate security   
system...besides, who the hell pays bail for this dude?  
  
{As the Sim-days pass, Carmen eventually finishes the carpeting and   
wallpapering of her mansion.}  
  
User: If you can consider having the cheapest stuff in a fancy house a   
mansion.  
  
{Anyway, Carmen also makes friends with Zack and Stacey, a Sim not in the WOE   
universe.}  
  
User: HEY! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM SOMEONE WHO HAD TO UNINSTALL HOUSE PARTY   
AND LIVIN' LARGE TO WRITE THIS FIC?! ONE NEIGHBORHOOD'S JUST TOO DAMN SMALL!  
  
{Carmen gets promoted to Con Artist, and quickly becomes friends with Ivy.   
Carmen eventually gets promoted to Getaway Driver. On Day 72...}  
  
User: Man, that's a long time.  
  
{...Carmen eventually becomes a Criminal Mastermind.}  
  
Carmen: Woohoo!  
  
User: Alright, forget day-to-day-to-week-to-month diaries. Let's just get it   
on.  
  
[Zack and Ivy's house. Early morning. Ivy is making breakfast.]  
  
Ivy: [looking outside] Zack, what the heck is that?  
  
Zack: A WhirlWizard Hot Tub.  
  
Ivy: Zack, we do not need a Hot Tub.  
  
Zack: Yeah we do. While you were away I met Tatiana and I'd like to get to   
know her better, so I invited her to our house.  
  
[Outside, Tatiana walks up to the door and rings the doorbell.]  
  
Zack: I'll get it!  
  
[Zack goes outside to "Greet" Tatiana.]  
  
Zack and Tatiana: [they hug each other] "Comon snala!"  
  
[Tatiana and Zack start talking, and then Tatiana decides to give Zack a back   
rub when Maria walks past the house and witnesses the action. Apparently   
yesterday after greeting Tatiana, Zack had also greeted Maria but asked her   
to leave so he could talk to Tatiana alone. Then after building up on the   
relationship with Tatiana, he asked Tatiana to leave and called Maria over,   
and the two talk until they became friends.]  
  
Maria: [goes and slaps Tatiana] How dare you!  
  
Tatiana: It's not my fault!  
  
Zack: Uh, Tatiana, Maria, maybe I could show you two our brand new hot tub...  
  
[He goes into the hot tub, twirls into his trunks, and gets into the hot tub.   
Maria and Tatiana follow suit, except that they twirl into bikinis. All three   
get into a conversation.]  
  
[Carmen's workplace]  
  
Carmen: Beautiful day, isn't it?  
  
Sara Bellum: [reading a book] Mm-hmm.  
  
Moe Skeeter: Hey Carmen, what's the agenda for today?  
  
Lars Vegas: I thought we weren't doing anything special today.  
  
Moe Skeeter: I swear we did have something to do today!  
  
[Moe and Lars back off and get into fighting stance]  
  
Lars Vegas: You bastard!  
  
[The two "Attack" each other as Pearl Diver walks in]  
  
Pearl Diver: What are those two up to now?  
  
Carmen: Just their daily argument and fight. [goes to Mason Dixon] Here's the   
paycheck.  
  
Mason Dixon: [looking at it, then throwing it on the floor and stomping on   
it] WHAT?! I DID ALL THAT WORK TWO DAYS AGO AND I ONLY GET 1/5 OF EVERYONE   
ELSE'S PAYCHECK?! You've turned against me, Carmen!  
  
Carmen: Why are you taking it out on me? I gave you a job as a henchman [a   
bubble shows the Life of Crime job symbol], a paycheck to put food on your   
table [a bubble of a flashing-red hamburger, fork, and knife now appear] and   
a roof over your selfish, ungrateful head. [A picture of a Greek temple-like   
building appears, flashing red as well]  
  
[This time, it's Mason and Carmen's turn to fight]  
  
Mason: Bring it on!  
  
[The two "Attack" each other and now there are two inhuman-sized dustballs   
moving about, but Moe and Lars' dustball fight cease, and they get the - over   
their heads.]  
  
Moe: I still say we had something planned today!  
  
Lars: I disagree!  
  
[Carmen and Mason stop fighting, and they get the - over their heads as   
well.]  
  
Carmen: Mason, I don't have time for that kind of stuff. Go bother Ante   
Bellum.  
  
Mason: Fine! [he walks away, still mad]  
  
[a few hours later]  
  
[Mason comes in]  
  
Mason: [holding a box of chocolates] Carmen, I'm sorry for my outburst.  
  
Carmen: Mason, are you joking?  
  
Mason: I brought you this box of chocolates to apologize for my behavior   
earlier. [hands the box to Carmen]  
  
Carmen: Oh... [she takes the box from Mason] Thank you. [The box of   
chocolates disappear, but neither person/Sim seems to notice]  
  
[Zack and Ivy's house]  
  
[Armando walks up to the door and rings the bell. Zack is still in the hot   
tub with Tatiana and Maria, so Ivy answers the door.]  
  
Ivy: [greeting Armando] What are you doing here?  
  
Armando: I don't know. One minute, I'm at home in Argentina, the next I'm   
here in this weird world. Where's Zack?  
  
Ivy: He's in the backyard with Maria and Tatiana in the hot tub he bought.  
  
Armando: [surprised] What?  
  
Ivy: Zack bought a hot tub. I don't know why.  
  
Armando: That's not like him.  
  
[the two go inside, and the first thing Ivy notices is a pool table]  
  
Ivy: ZACK, SINCE WHEN DID YOU BUY A POOL TABLE?!  
  
Zack: I dunno. The middle of the night?  
  
Ivy: Very funny, Zackary.  
  
[In Zack's bedroom, Zack "Calls Over" Tatiana so he can have some time alone   
with her. They "Kiss" but Maria comes in when the two kiss and slaps Tatiana]  
  
Maria: Traitor!  
  
Tatiana: Why are you taking it out on me?  
  
[both get into fighting stance, and the two "Attack" each other. A few   
sim-minutes later, Tatiana and Maria finish "Attacking" each other and they   
get the - over their heads]  
  
Zack: I'm sure we can fix our relationship...  
  
Maria: Forget it! You can go and make out with Tatiana with all you want! I'm   
leaving!  
  
[Maria leaves Zack and Ivy's house to go home.]  
  
{END DREAM SEQUENCE}  
  
  
[6 AM, Acme. Zack is still asleep. Ivy goes into the control room with a cup   
of coffee and a box of glazed donuts when she notices Zack has slept the   
night on the computer with The Sims.]  
  
Ivy: Zack?  
  
Zack: [waking up] Huh? Ivy?  
  
Ivy: [taking a chair] Zack, you spent the entire night at the keyboard.  
  
Zack: [rubbing his eyes] I was trying to continue The Sims.  
  
Ivy: And you didn't go to bed when I told you to. Shame on you.  
  
Zack: [looks at computer screen] Hm, must've hit the pause button. [yawns]   
Man, what a dream I had...  
  
Ivy: What dream?  
  
Zack: I was dreaming that everyone we knew were in "The Sims". And there was   
someone who was controlling us...and cursing about writing some stupid fic   
and something called "Livin' Large" and "House Party" for The Sims...  
  
Ivy: It's barely 24 hours since you bought the game and you're already   
addicted. [gets up] Well, I'll be going to go buy something. Dag dag.  
  
Zack: [bolts straight up in his seat as Ivy leaves] What? Dag dag?...hm...  
  
____________________________________________________________________________  
  
Several notes:  
All the items mentioned above do exist in the original "The Sims". Anything   
in quotations are Simspeak, or actions that exist in "The Sims." Also, Sims   
are prone to jealously.  
  
The reason why this fic is short is because there really wasn't much fun   
things to do with in "The Sims." This was later solved in the next expansion   
pack "Livin' Large/Livin' It Up" for "The Sims." (Which happens to be the   
sequel for this fic.)  
  
Hope you enjoyed the fic! 


End file.
